What is Title I?
Overview

Title I is a federal grant program designed to give educational assistance to students living in areas of high poverty. The Title I program originated in 1965 when Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and was reauthorized in 2001 with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Title I is one of the oldest and largest federal programs supporting elementary and secondary education in existence, and over 90% of the school systems in the United States receive some sort of Title I funding. Title I reaches about 12.5 million students enrolled in both public and private schools.

Title I is a federal program that provides funds to schools and districts based upon the percentage of students qualifying to receive free or reduced price (school) meals. The purpose is to ensure that all children have access to quality instruction and resources that will enable them to meet challenging state academic content and student academic achievement standards.

Key Requirements of Title I

Schools are ranked according to the percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Schools with 75% of students in poverty are automatically allocated Title I funding. Schools with 35% (or higher than the country’s average) of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch are eligible to receive Title I funding; however, it is the discretion of the school division as to the number of schools to serve.

Title I funds are used to hire additional staff, purchase instructional materials, and provide professional development to support students identified as low achieving in reading and math so that they are able to show proficiency on reading and math state assessments.

Title I schools that do not meet all federal Annual Measureable Objectives (AMO) in reading and math are required to create, implement, and monitor a school improvement plan. AMO targets in reading and math for all student subgroups have been established by the Arizona Department of Education. These AMO targets increase each year to ensure continued improvement.

Parent Engagement
Each Title I school is required to develop a parent engagement policy that specifically outlines how the school will support parents with their students’ learning.

Each Title I school is required to host workshops/trainings for parents that focus upon the academic needs of the students. While many of these workshops/trainings occur during daytime hours, others are held in the evenings. Additionally, these workshops/trainings are repeated, based upon attendance and parent requests. Interpreters (for Spanish speaking parents) and childcare are often available.

Two Models of Title I Programs
Title I schools choose to implement a schoolwide program or a targeted assistance program.

SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAM:
Schools must have 40% poverty or greater to implement a Schoolwide program. Funds are used to improve the overall academic program of the school. A Title I Schoolwide team must annually develop a Schoolwide plan that includes the following:

• Comprehensive needs assessment
• School wide reform strategies
• Provision for instruction by highly qualified professional staff
• Strategies for increasing parental involvement
• Plans to facilitate transition from preschool to elementary school
• Measures for including teacher input to improve student performance and the overall instructional program
• Provision of assistance to struggling students

TARGETED ASSISTANCE PROGRAM:
Students are screened using multiple assessments and must meet certain academic criteria to be eligible to receive Title I services.
Title I students work with a Title I teacher in either a pull out or push in model to accelerate their progress in reading and or mathematics.
The academic growth made by Title I students is tracked and reported to parents.
Parents of Title I students are invited to participate in activities that support the learning at home.

Resources for Parents
United States Department of Education-Parent Resources
This web site contains links to many tools for parents relating to the education of their child/children. These include resources for helping children with homework, getting students prepared for college, options for parents under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which can include Supplemental Educational Services and Public School Choice, answers to common educational related questions, and much, much more.

Helping Your Child With Homework
The U.S. Department of Education has developed this web site to help parents assist their students to achieve at high levels. It contains information on how to help children with their homework, working with their classroom teachers, making sure assignments are completed on time, etc.

Title I Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Links
Schoolwide Program
Targeted Assistance Programs
Parent Involvement
Title I Focus Schools
Educational Services for Immigrant Children